Dental plaque or plaque bio-film is a soft deposit that forms on surfaces of the oral cavity, such as tissue and teeth, and comprises a complex mixture of an accumulation of bacteria and salivary as well as food by-products, starch, proteins and proteinacious material. Thus, inhibiting the growth of bio-film not only involves dispersing the accumulation of existing proteinacious materials, but also requires prohibiting and minimizing their reattachment to the tooth surface. Plaque adheres tenaciously at the points of irregularity or discontinuity (e.g., on rough calculus surfaces, at the gum line, on tongue surface and within crevices, and the like). Besides being unsightly, plaque is implicated in the occurrence of gingivitis and other forms of periodontal disease.
Bacteria thrive on the tongue. For the most part, the bacteria are a part of a protective bio-film that essentially renders them resistant to most treatments. Few people clean their tongue after brushing, even though it's been shown that as much as 50 percent of the mouth's bacteria can be found here. Additionally, for many people, brushing or scraping the tongue is difficult because of the gag reflex. Therefore, cleaning the tongue non-mechanically is highly desirable for those who are unable to do so with a mechanical device.
A wide variety of agents have been suggested in the art to retard plaque formation and the oral infections and dental disease associated with plaque formation. In spite of the extensive amount of products related to antibacterial dentifrice and related oral treatment compositions, there is still a need for a product with enhanced bacteria anti-attachment properties.